ANTI-WAR TREATY

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 3 July 1928, Page 5

ANTI-WAR TREATY

NOT A SIMPLE ONE. PROBLEM DISCUSSED. BRITISH POSITION EXPLAINED (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. June 30. The Prime Minister and Sir Austen Cha-mbenla-iii -received members of the League of Nations Union, headed by Professor Gilbert Murray and- Lord Cecil, and discussed with- them the Government's attitude to arbitration and, other questions. Referring to- Mr Kellogg’s .proposals, tile Foreign Secretary intimated that, though, the problem was- not quite as simple as -it might seem, the deputation need be- in no- doubt as to h-i-s desire to bring the American treaty to a successful conclusion. There were, he said, a great many disputes which could not be settled by arbitration, since -such disputes could not -be determined by any rule or consideration of law.

As to the optional clause of the Permanent Court of International Justice, he thought that, after the reservations which everybody wished to sec made had eliminated matters of domestic jurisdiction, -affairs of the Empire, inter, sea, and maritime Law in time of war, would not really he very much advanced. Replying to questions regarding the optional clause, Sir Austen Chamberlain reminded the deputation that, as he had stated in the House of Commons, he was 110-t pretending to speak for all-1, but in the present conditions t-he Government did not think a useful purpose would be served by signing the optional clause with the reservations they would have to attach to it. In -regard to the ratification o-f the League's la-ring traffic- convention of 1925, he thought that the practical way o-f proceeding was to get the pri-ncipa-l arms -producing countries to name a date and- rati-fv simultaneously.

EXTENSION OF SCOPE URGED. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright.) WASHINGTON, July 1. Air Samuel Col card, New York, has urged Air Kellogg to extend the scope of the pending innltlla-ternll outlawry o-l war pact to- "delegatise’’ war by making it criminal under international law.

In a .letter supported by an imposing list of -public men, Air Coleord makes the suggestion on the ground that a dissatisfied nation may find means to withdraw from the treaty, but no nation can withdraw from international law. He contends that bv so doing Mir Kellogg would establish the permanency of the -pact.